Baldwinsville hunter relates how 'three-shot rule' for emergency in the woods worked

They teach you in hunter safety courses that if you find yourself in trouble and have no other means of communication, the firing of three quick shots is a good way to put out a distress call.

Gregory Ceresko, of Baldwinsville, related the following story to me this week about how a buddy of his did just that — and was able to get the help he needed almost immediately.

“We were hunting this past week at our camp in Orange County above the Neversink River,” Ceresko wrote. “My friend Bill (Pataky), who lives in Putnam County was hunting along some rock ledges and noticed a coyote working its way along the bottom of the ledges. It was in really bad shape with severe mange and Bill decided to put the animal down.”

After the shot, Pataky was climbing down a ledge when a boulder that he was stepping past suddenly slid and pinned his right leg against another boulder.

“Bill knew he was trapped with no hope of getting his leg freed by himself,” Ceresko said, “So he called on the radio to my son, Chris, who was also in the area, but Chris had moved a few hours earlier into a ravine that prevented him from getting the call on the radio.”

The pinned hunter, remembering his hunter safety training from at least 30 years ago, fired three quick shots. The shots were answered by two quick shots.

“Bill thought that the shots may have just been a random thing, but he started calling out and then he heard a hunter calling back,” Ceresko said. “Within a few minutes the hunter located Bill.”

The hunter, who was from Suffolk County, knew about “the three-shot rule” but only had two rounds left, Ceresko said.

The hunter then offered Pataky his cell phone to call a local neighbor’s house. The neighbor then alerted the hunters at the camp.

“Three of the members went up on their quads, and along with the other hunter managed to move the rock and free Bill’s leg,” Ceresko said. “Bill suffered some serious bruises, but remembering the three-shot rule saved the day.”

“We also decided that carrying a few extra rounds for emergencies and a cell phone at all times was also a good idea, noting the top of the mountain provided a clear line of sight to a nearby cell tower,” he said.